


sleepless nights, burning sheets

by hauntedstarcollection



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Hannibal Lecter, Cuddling & Snuggling, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Morning Sex, Naked Cuddling, Spooning, Top Will Graham
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:33:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25797475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedstarcollection/pseuds/hauntedstarcollection
Summary: hannibal and will know how to take care of each other. in gentle ways.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> everything i write is set in a vague au where will knows damn well who hannibal is and what he's about, does not have encephalitis, and falls in love with him anyway. they're a well established couple here, and i wanted to explore the softer aspect of their relationship. the mutual understanding that comes with knowing one another incredibly well. also, there's sex. because i know what i'm about.

sometimes, will wouldn’t go to bed until hours after hannibal had already retired for the evening. it wasn’t something he did intentionally, but hannibal could pick up on it when will needed time to be lost in his own mind. he would start out reading, or maybe typing away on his laptop to prepare for his next lecture, neglecting a glass of wine that hannibal eventually took away. will would apologize half heartedly if he even noticed hannibal taking it away.

hannibal had kissed the top of will’s head, smoothing his hair down and capturing his attention briefly. he had murmured something about needing to go to bed, and will had hummed wordlessly in response.

before will realized it, it was closer to one in the morning than midnight, and hannibal had been gone for at least an hour. removing his glasses, he sighed deeply before rubbing his tired eyes. he closed his laptop and left it and his glasses on the couch, figuring he could take care of it in the morning. will turned off the remaining lights as he wandered towards his and hannibal’s shared bedroom, dragging his feet a bit in the process.

entering the bedroom, will began to tread more carefully. hannibal had the heightened senses of a predator, and he truly didn’t want to wake him up. he slipped into their bathroom, stripping bare and brushing his teeth before pulling on a clean pair of boxers. he’d taken to sleeping shirtless, something brought on by the sweltering heat hannibal seemed to produce like a space heater. he turned off the bathroom light before opening the door, but quickly realized his efforts had been for nothing.

“i didn’t mean to wake you,” he apologized softly, smiling guiltily at hannibal. he was sitting half up, propped up on an elbow and rubbing a hand over his face.

“it’s alright, will. i do sleep better when you’re here, anyway,” hannibal replied, his voice rough from sleep. will didn’t bother hiding his small smile, and he felt no shame in the way his chest warmed at hannibal’s words. he pulled the covers back and slid under, pulling them up over his shoulders.

will took a slow breath as hannibal laid down, nudging his body up against his side and gently encouraging will to roll onto his side. huffing quietly, will rolled so his back was to hannibal. the wave of calm he felt when hannibal’s chest pressed to his back instantly soothed him in a way he hadn’t realized he needed to be soothed. hannibal ran gentle fingers through his hair, pushing it behind his ear before kissing the shell of it lightly. 

“i had been waiting for you to tell me what was wrong, but i am starting to worry you won’t tell me,” hannibal spoke softly before inhaling the scent of will’s hair. they’d recently had to make a joint decision on will’s hygiene products, if only to please hannibal’s delicate sense of smell. “would you like to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you, my love?”

will closed his eyes and leaned back a little, pressing himself against hannibal’s chest. he felt around for a moment, grabbing hannibal’s hand and pressing it to his own chest. holding it there, will shook his head briefly. he couldn’t find the words to tell hannibal that nothing exactly was wrong, but he’d slipped into a funk recently that he couldn’t pull himself from.

“is there anything in particular bothering you?” hannibal rubbed his thumb back and forth over the bare skin in the center of will’s chest. will shook his head again, and hannibal seemed to accept that answer for the moment. will knew he’d probably try to pull more from him over breakfast, but even hannibal was too tired to interrogate him on occasion.

a comfortable silence fell over the room, and will felt himself subconsciously trying to sync his breathing with hannibal’s. the slow rise and fall of his lover’s chest against his back was soothing, and so was the way he continued to stroke his chest slowly. will eventually matched hannibal’s slow and easy breaths, drifting into a shockingly peaceful sleep. with hannibal holding him through the night, will’s nightmares didn’t seem to have as many sharp teeth as they once had.

—

the following morning, will woke up slowly. he hadn’t moved at all in his sleep, and judging by the warm body pressed to his back, neither had hannibal. he briefly acknowledged that he felt better, mentally, than he had the night before. but that thought was nudged aside for the time being when he felt the unmistakable press of hannibal’s erection against his ass.

“good morning,” hannibal’s voice came from will’s shoulder, and will barely stifled a quiet laugh. 

“is it going to be that kind of morning?” he asked, tone teasing. hannibal merely hummed in response, his hand skimming down will’s side beneath the covers. will let out a slow breath and closed his eyes again, relishing in the soft touch against his sleep-warm skin.

“it can be whatever kind of morning you would like it to be,” hannibal’s response was muffled by will’s skin. he hadn’t stopped pressing slow kisses against his shoulder and the side of his neck, working up to just beneath his ear. will considered briefly before nodding his consent and pressing his ass back, rubbing against hannibal’s cock through their clothes.

hannibal made a sound that was closer to a purr than anything else before hooking his fingers into the waistband of will’s boxers, tugging them down as far as he could without getting up. he was reluctant to give up all of their shared warmth and skin contact, and will felt the same way. he sighed softly when hannibal drew back, their hands meeting as will helped him shove his own pajama pants down.

“hannibal,” will breathed his name, turning his head in a silent plea for a kiss. hannibal granted him what he asked, pressing their lips together in a soft and relatively chaste meeting. will melted back against hannibal’s chest, resting a hand on his hip and holding their bodies flush.

“i love you like this,” hannibal murmured, curling his fingers briefly around will’s throat before running his hand flatly down his chest. he paused briefly to thumb over one of will’s nipples, causing will to inhale sharply. “when you are warm, soft, relaxed. you smell like me,” hannibal inhaled slowly through his nose, pressing it against will’s throat.

“hannibal,” will’s tone was almost warning as a shiver ran through him. “touch me.”

where he usually would’ve gotten a smart remark about hannibal already touching him, will instead got what he asked for. he knew he was being coddled, but he wanted to take advantage of it while he still could. he didn’t doubt for a moment that hannibal would be making him talk as soon as they were drinking coffee. one of hannibal’s large, warm, hands slid down will’s stomach and to his hip, nudging him gently before curling fingers around his thigh.

“spread your legs for me,” hannibal requested softly, kissing the nape of will’s neck. will did as he was asked wordlessly, staying still as hannibal shifted behind him. “perfect, darling,” hannibal murmured. will hummed, feeling hannibal slide his cock between will’s barely parted thighs.

will relaxed again when hannibal’s fingers curled around his cock, stroking him slowly a few times and tracing his thumb around the head. a quiet moan pushed through will’s lips, the sound almost more of a sigh than anything else. hannibal had begun rolling his hips, sliding his heavy cock between will’s thighs in slow movements. the head of it nudged gently against the back of will’s balls, adding to the sensations he was already feeling.

closing his eyes, will squeezed hannibal’s hip before taking a slow breath and letting himself just feel. the firm press of hannibal’s hairy chest against his back, and the warm comfort he had found there so many times. the back and forth motion of hannibal’s hips, as familiar to him as if he were the one moving. the slide of hannibal’s hand over the length of his cock, made easier by how much he was leaking. the heat of hannibal’s cock between his thighs and the moisture he felt there, and the way he knew exactly how it would feel if it were inside of him. even down to the feeling of hannibal’s thighs against the backs of his own. will knew hannibal’s body as well as he did his own, just as hannibal knew will’s, and it was something will wouldn’t have traded for anything in the world.

“will,” hannibal drew him back out from his thoughts with lips against his ear, kissing and sucking gently on his earlobe. “stay with me.”

“i’m here,” will promised softly, rubbing his thumb against hannibal’s hip. “i’m right here, hannibal, fuck,” will trembled, he hadn’t realized just how close to his own orgasm he’d gotten.

“make me come,” will pleaded softly, knowing full well hannibal wouldn’t deny him. the only sound in the room for a few more moments was heavy breathing and the muffled sounds of skin on skin. will shook, his jaw dropping open and his back arching against hannibal when he did come. the orgasm wasn’t earth shattering or heart stopping, but will felt a surge of aching affection for his lover.

hannibal tilted will’s chin up with his free hand, bringing him in for a slow and deep kiss. will squeezed his thighs together, feeling the exact moment hannibal’s breath caught and his hips stuttered. he felt the warm mess between his thighs, but will couldn’t bring himself to mind quite yet. the two continued to make out slowly for a while, lazy kisses that promised nothing more than the affection between them.

“i love you,” will murmured, pulling away finally and looking up at hannibal. he smiled a little, seeing how relaxed hannibal appeared to be.

“and i, you,” hannibal kissed will’s forehead, smoothing back a few curls before slowly drawing away. “but, we still have to talk about last night. clean up, darling. i’ll start breakfast.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy bottom hannibal day!

the house was silent aside from the quiet sounds of moving water. will was comforted by the quiet, but put off by hannibal’s uncharacteristic silence. it wasn’t that the two of them didn’t enjoy quiet time together, but hannibal had been quieter than usual lately. he was usually the one who filled silences that will would allow to stretch, but the last few days had been different.

“hannibal,” will spoke his lover’s name softly, running a hand through his damp hair. hannibal was lounging comfortably in the large tub in the master bathroom, will kneeling beside him and washing him slowly. the two had fallen into the habit of bathing one another on occasion, both of them finding pleasure at the intimacy of it.

“hm, yes, will?” hannibal looked away from the ceiling, his eyes finding will’s face. will furrowed his brow, searching hannibal’s eyes. it was like a window was closed, and he was hiding something. nothing major enough to demand a door, but enough that will still felt kept out.

“what aren’t you telling me?” will asked, taking hannibal’s hand and bringing it to his lips. he kissed his knuckles.

“you see straight through me, don’t you?” hannibal sounded amused, and will looked back up at him curiously. “you always have. it’s something i admire about you, will. you have always seen through my… ‘person suit’.”

will laughed softly at the term, nodding. “and i always will. if it makes you feel any better, baby, no one else has noticed. no one else reads you like i do.”

“a blessing and a curse,” hannibal leaned forward, causing the water around him to slosh around. will frowned, pushing himself up to stand using the edge of the tub. he bent down, pushing back hannibal’s hair and kissing the top of his head.

“i’m long past thinking that loving you is a curse. is that what’s bothering you?” will asked carefully, fetching a towel from the counter. he held it out for hannibal as he rose, stepping out of the tub and accepting the offering.

“not exactly,” hannibal replied, wrapping the towel around himself. will picked up the second, smaller, towel he had at the ready. he dried hannibal off slowly, rubbing over his shoulders before moving down to his chest. will waited patiently for hannibal to explain further, smoothing the towel gently over his chest and stomach before moving on to his shoulders.

“do you ever feel trapped here, will?” hannibal’s voice carried an uncharacteristic tone of uneasiness, causing will to look up from where he had been drying his forearm delicately.

“no,” he answered, voice sure. “i don’t feel trapped here. i’ve never felt more sure of myself, of who i am. i know myself better because of you. you opened every door and climbed every wall i’d put up. i love you, hannibal.”

“that… is reassuring,” hannibal replied softly, taking his hand from will’s grasp and cupping his cheek. will allowed himself to be drawn into a chaste kiss, chasing hannibal’s lips for a second press when he pulled away.

the pair lapsed into a more comfortable silence as will dried hannibal’s other arm before bending to dry his legs with the same amount of care he’d granted the rest of his body. will took both towels and hung them to dry as hannibal went to their bedroom, remaining nude. watching hannibal go to their bed and pull the covers back, will turned away to undress himself. if hannibal planned to sleep naked, he wasn’t going to bother with wearing anything.

“what’s that?” will asked, cocking his head to the side as he entered their bedroom fully naked. hannibal was seated on the edge of his side of the bed, something hidden between both of his palms. will crawled onto the bed, pressing his chest to hannibal’s back and slipping both arms around his waist. he hooked his chin over hannibal’s shoulder, kissing his cheek before watching as hannibal opened his hands.

“hannibal,” will spoke his name on a soft exhale, recognizing the shape of a jewelry box immediately.

“will,” hannibal spoke his name with the reverence he reserved for when they were alone together as he opened the box, revealing the ring inside. it was simple enough, but extremely beautiful. the band was silver in color, with diamonds set into the band instead of standing out.

“you know, i had originally planned a… grand gesture. a dinner party for just the two of us. buying you other gifts, spending an evening pampering you before kneeling next to the dining room table. i knew you would not care for anything grand and public, even though i would love nothing more than for everyone to know how much i love you,” hannibal paused, taking a steadying breath. “but i can never predict you, will. i never could. i have never been so sure and yet unsure of something at the same time. it isn’t a feeling i am used to. but i would be incredibly honored if you would marry me.”

“hannibal,” will’s voice shook. he could feel hannibal’s heart pounding against his own chest, and the way his breath caught when will spoke his name. “how could you ever think i would say no?” he asked, laughing and burying his face against hannibal’s neck. “of course i’ll marry you. for someone so smart, i can’t believe you’re such an idiot.”

hannibal sagged back against will in apparent relief, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against will’s shoulder. he smiled broadly, and will pulled away to admire the look of sheer joy on hannibal’s face.

“i’ve never seen someone so happy to be called an idiot. i think you should talk to your therapist about that, doctor lecter,” will teased, holding out his left hand. “come on. let’s make sure it fits.”

“of course it fits,” hannibal looked up, suddenly offended. “why would i buy you a ring that does not fit?” he asked, plucking the ring delicately from its place in the box. hannibal abandoned the empty box on his nightstand before taking will’s hand and slipping the ring easily onto his finger. it fit perfectly, and will held his hand out in front of both of them to get a proper look.

“did you measure my finger?” will asked, cocking his head to the side and resisting the urge to laugh. “i knew i was a heavy sleeper, but shit.”

hannibal merely grinned, turning and pulling will into a languid kiss. they were both smiling too hard for it to be too deep, but neither of them minded. will felt like his entire body was thrumming in excitement. tomorrow they could worry about details, but tonight he needed to show hannibal just how much he loved him.

hannibal allowed will to pull him back and guide him further onto the bed. their movement had the smoothness of two people who were in tune with one another’s wants, their lips barely parting for more than a second or two at a time as hannibal was pressed onto his back in the middle of the bed. will’s hands roamed hannibal’s body slowly, running from his sides to his hips before lifting him just enough to grind their hips together. they were both half hard already, the expanses of bare skin enough to rile them up.

“will,” hannibal gasped his name as will kissed and bit lightly at his neck, careful of leaving marks anywhere that would be visible. will hummed quietly, kissing his way down hannibal’s chest and nuzzling against the hair there. 

“shh,” will looked up, pressing a kiss to the center of hannibal’s chest before working on moving downward again. he felt the way hannibal shifted, spreading his legs further to accommodate will’s body between them. will paused when he reached hannibal’s cock, sucking a kiss against the side of the shaft but otherwise ignoring it. he tongued wetly over hannibal’s balls before moving further down, pushing up on the backs of hannibal’s thighs to make his intentions more clear. 

hannibal cursed under his breath at the first long stroke of will’s tongue over his hole, spreading his legs and lifting them enough to be able to hold the backs of his thighs himself. will immediately took one of his asscheeks in each hand spread him open, messily licking and sucking at him. will moaned against him, spitting enough that it was almost sloppy. he loved eating hannibal out, and he wasn’t going to deny either of them the pleasure of it tonight. not when he knew exactly the sound hannibal would make when he pushed the tip of his tongue inside.

“will!” hannibal groaned, reaching down and tangling his fingers into will’s messy curls. will took the encouragement in stride as hannibal pulled him closer, fucking him with his tongue. he curled and flicked it with slow and intentional movements, only occasionally stopping to suck and barely catch his breath. opening his eyes, will looked up to see that hannibal was watching him. he would’ve smirked, but he was enjoying his current activity too much to stop.

“will, stop teasing and fuck me,” hannibal’s voice was an odd mix of plea and demand, and will grinned when he heard it. he traced his tongue around hannibal’s rim one more time before pulling away, admiring the blush in hannibal’s cheeks before reaching over to retrieve the bottle of lubricant from his nightstand. 

will made himself comfortable, kneeling between hannibal’s legs and pouring what was probably a little too much lube over his fingers and hannibal’s rim. the cool liquid made hannibal shiver, but will was quick to hold himself over him and press a kiss to his lips. he closed the bottle with his free hand before using it to hold himself up. pressing two fingers against his lover’s entrance, will rubbed him gently to get him to relax before pressing them in slowly. it hadn’t been more than a day since the last time they had fucked, and will knew hannibal liked a little bit of burning stretch when he was taking his cock.

“you’re beautiful,” will murmured, kissing hannibal’s cheek before trailing his lips down to his neck. hannibal’s fingers tangled into will’s hair again, tugging lightly as will sucked a bruise into the space where hannibal’s shoulder met his neck. he worked his fingers into hannibal in slow rocks, pushing deeper and spreading them a bit on every inward movement. he knew right where to press to hit hannibal’s prostate and intentionally avoided it, knowing he already had hannibal overexcited from spending so much time rimming him.

“will,” hannibal huffed, making will laugh against his neck. hannibal’s urge to be in control was almost as amusing as the fact that will had known he would speak up. 

“i know, i know. i’ve got you,” will kissed over the bruise he’d left behind before sitting up and easing his fingers out of hannibal slowly. he picked up the lubricant again, pouring a little more into his palm and giving his cock a few strokes to spread it evenly. he looked up with a curious look when hannibal sat up, pushing a hand against will’s chest until he laid on his back.

will went easily, watching as hannibal straddled him with smooth movements. he pushed himself up on one elbow, gripping hannibal’s side with his free hand as he lined the head of will’s cock up with his entrance. will took a shuddering breath and held still as hannibal sank down, taking his entire length slowly.

“fuck, hannibal,” will groaned, his eyes almost falling closed as he looked up and met hannibal’s eyes. he sat up, wrapping his arms around hannibal’s waist and pulling him into a kiss as he grabbed his ass. “you feel so fucking good, baby,” will grunted in between hannibal’s thrusts. he fucked himself in deep and quick strokes on will’s cock, taking exactly what he wanted.

“will, darling,” hannibal moaned against will’s lips, wrapping an arm around his neck and pressing their bodies close. will traced a finger over hannibal’s stretched rim and pulled a moan from both of them, followed by him wrapping a hand around hannibal’s cock. “yes,” hannibal breathed, biting lightly at will’s lower lip and grinding down against him.

“i love you, i love you so much, hannibal,” will whimpered, burying his face against hannibal’s shoulder and moaning. he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before looking down between their bodies, watching hannibal’s cock pushing in and pulling out of the tight grip of his fist. will knew neither of them would last as long as usual tonight, but he was fine with it. this was about intimacy and pleasure and however long it lasted, not a marathon or sprint to the finish line.

will knew hannibal was close when his breathing became broken, and a few moments later he started to clench up around him. he took advantage of hannibal’s lowered guard, wrapping both arms around hannibal and rolling their joined bodies so hannibal was on his back. hannibal arched beautifully away from the mattress, and he didn’t need to ask for will to curl fingers around his heavy cock again. will held one of hannibal’s thighs with his free hand, encouraging him to wrap both legs around will’s waist.

“that’s it, baby, that’s it. come for me, let me see you,” will encouraged, pointedly thrusting so his cock dragged over hannibal’s prostate with every hard and deep thrust. hannibal gritted and bared his teeth, clutching the sheets with one hand and will’s bicep with the other. 

“will!” hannibal cried out his name, and will knew he would never hear a sweeter sound. the perpetually cool and collected hannibal lecter, a sweaty and uncontrolled mess beneath him. and he would have this for the rest of his life. between that thought and the way hannibal had clenched up around his cock, it was barely ten seconds before will was finishing inside of his lover, choking out his name a few times before nearly collapsing on top of him.

will found hannibal’s lips, touching his cheek with his clean hand and pulling him into a passionate kiss. it was messy and wet, and it took will a few long moments to realize why it was so damp.

“hannibal, are you crying?” will asked, pulling back and looking at him with sudden concern. he pulled out slowly, watching hannibal’s expression. his eyes were closed, but there were unmistakably tears leaving them and rolling back into his hair. “hannibal, i- did i hurt you? talk to me,” will stretched, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand on his side of the bed and immediately trying to blot away the tears.

“i am not hurt. i…” hannibal opened his eyes, and will was shocked into stillness by the affection he saw there. “i’m happy, will. i was thinking… this will be the rest of our lives. together. every night, if we felt so inclined.”

will let out a relieved breath, kissing hannibal’s forehead before dropping down beside him and tossing the tissue in the general direction of the trash bin. he managed a breathless laugh, running a hand through his own hair. at hannibal’s curious look, will shook his head. he nudged at hannibal’s shoulder, rolling him onto his side before cuddling up to his back, spooning him with his left hand pressed to hannibal’s chest. it wasn’t long before he felt hannibal’s hand over his own, his thumb tracing the ring on will’s finger.

“it’s funny, because i was thinking exactly the same thing,” will murmured, kissing the back of hannibal’s shoulder a few times. “that i couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. i might cry, too, when you tell me what you have planned.”

“what makes you so sure i’ve already planned our wedding? maybe i was frightened and thought you’d say no, so i kept my hopes low,” hannibal responded, voice soft as he leaned back against will’s chest.

“because i know you, hannibal. you have the entire thing planned, down to the plate designs. i have never known you not to be prepared. it’s one of the many things i love about you,” will spoke in between kisses, moving in aimless patterns over hannibal’s shoulder and neck.

“in that case, the last thing to settle would be the change of last names. or lack thereof. i wouldn’t mind if you chose to keep yours, as i have no intention of changing mine,” hannibal glanced back at will when he snorted, laughing against his back.

“i’ll think on it. now let me sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on twit @ hauntedstarc !

**Author's Note:**

> and then hannibal made some great coffee and human sausage and they talked about their feelings!  
> yell at me on twit @ hauntedstarc!


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